Articulated buses, popularly called "bendy buses," were introduced to London in October 2001 when two Wright Eclipse Fusion bodied Volvo B7LAs were hired from First Hampshire & Dorset, one of which was repainted into First London's red livery, and six Wright Fusion bodied Volvo B10LAs from First Glasgow for a trial on route 207 between Shepherd's Bush and Hayes-By-Pass.[1][2]
In June 2002, new Mercedes-Benz Citaro O530Gs were introduced on Red Arrow services 507 and 521.[3][4] While articulated bus operation had been standard in several other countries for over 20 years, their use in the United Kingdom had been limited, with their introduction in London gaining a lot of press attention.[5][6] They were later introduced on routes 12, 18, 25, 29, 38, 73, 149, 207, 436 and 453, which were among the busiest routes of the TfL bus network.[7]
During the 2008 mayoral campaign, victorious Boris Johnson pledged to withdraw articulated buses on the grounds that they were unsuitable for London, and to introduce a modern version of the AEC Routemaster.[8] Withdrawals began in July 2009, when articulated buses on routes 38, 507 and 521 were replaced with conventional single and double decker buses, and a prototype for the New Routemaster was promised to be on the streets by 2012.[9][10] The last articulated buses were withdrawn in December 2011.[11]
- ^ 'Innovative' bendi buses BBC News 8 October 2001
- ^ Wharmby, Matthew (2016). The London Bendy Bus. Pen & Sword. pp. 8–11. ISBN 978-1-78383-172-2. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ^ London transport - with a twist BBC News 5 June 2002
- ^ London gets first cash-free bendy buses Transport for London 5 June 2002
- ^ Tahir, Tariq (22 March 2004). "'Bendy bus' safety fears". Evening Standard. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
- ^ Firebreathing buses threaten London The Register 24 March 2004
- ^ "What happened to London's bendy buses 10 years after being kicked out". 9 December 2021.
- ^ Scrap the bendy bus and bring back Routemasters, says Boris Evening Standard 11 September 2007
- ^ "The beginning of the end for the bendy bus" (Press release). Greater London Authority. 5 December 2008. Archived from the original on 7 December 2008.
- ^ A New Bus for London – Next steps Transport For London
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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